20190107 - Algodones & new bridge

     We were up early and in Los Algodones by 0850.  I was excited to get my new bridge.  We do not drive into Mexico.  Besides there would be no place to park in Los Algodones, I've heard too many stories about USBP unloading your car on the road to search it and then leaving you to clean it up. With our truck, that would be an unbelievable nightmare. The Quechan tribe own the land up to the border. They have a parking lot where we can leave the truck for $6/day. We walk across the border. 

     The dentist wasn't satisfied with my new bridge and sent it back to the lab to have it corrected. That only took an hour. By noon I had my new bridge, and it does look good. In the picture the bridge is on my right. (The glint of gold on my left side is from a circa 1980 bridge)  Can't tell which teeth are the bridge, can you? He does outstanding work.

     Pamela had fun negotiating with a local merchant to get me a new pair of boots. Our friends from South Dakota and I stood watching and laughing. I think the two of them were having great fun and he still got a good and fair price for his merchandise. The people here work very hard to make a living.  Our dentist has been in practice for nine years and he is no ways near as affluent as an American dentist with the same experience. Actually, I decided that one of the reasons the dentists here are so good is that from the day they get out of dental school they're doing extractions, crowns, implants, bridges, root canals and all those things which most US dentists would be expected or required (depending upon the State) to send to a specialist. I really wish I could afford to pay our Mexican dentist more but it is the fact that the US healthcare system has left so many of us without the financial wherewithal to pay for US services that he has enough patients to make a good living for Mexico.

     We hear so many people talk as though going into Mexico is so dangerous because it is filled with kidnappers and drug dealers. The people of Los Algodones are very friendly and we feel quite safe among them.  I'm much more nervous in a US mall than in the crowded marketplace of Los Algodones.  I know there are dangerous crossings, but there are a lot more that are quite safe. Yes, it is true that they are one of the few countries who have a higher murder rate than the US but awareness of your surroundings is important anywhere.  I feel very bad that my Spanish isn't even half as good as their English. They are good people and want to be good neighbors. We should be supporting them instead of demeaning and shunning them.